The energy provider Utilita has donated £17,910 to The City of Edinburgh Council for community-based projects as part of its Community Fund.
The first project to be funded is tree planting at Firrhill Crescent where three birch trees and three cherry trees were bought and planted by the council.
The other projects include providing digital equipment to the council’s Sheltered Housing complexes where the devices will be used for tenants and others in the area to attend activities in the community rooms. This is intended to help empower tenants to interact with council services online and helping to build confidence in becoming digitally connected.
Cllr Donald Wilson, Culture and Communities Convener at The City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Edinburgh already outstrips other Scottish cities by having more trees per head of population. In 2019, we became the first Scottish local authority to support the Charter for Trees, pledging our full commitment to cherish, nurture and celebrate our trees. We are also committed to becoming a Million tree City and this is a welcome step forward working in partnership with Utilita and with local communities.”
Cllr Amy McNeese-Mechan, Culture and Communities Vice Convener at The City of Edinburgh Council, said: “The generous donation from Utilita helps to support our mission to become a ‘Million Tree City’ by 2030. We’re looking forward to working on many other great projects using the Community Fund which benefits the people of Edinburgh and our beautiful city!”
Bill Bullen, Environmentalist and CEO of Utilita, said: “We’re delighted that The City of Edinburgh Council is putting the Community Fund towards a series of positive projects that’ll help enrich the area and support locals. The tree planting is a great project to kick off with and we’re excited to see how the fund will be used further in the coming weeks and months.”
As well as their Community Fund, Utilita has helped people during the pandemic with their Power UP feature in the My Utilita app or by way of a customer call. Utilita’s dedicated Extra Care Team has also called every customer aged 80 and over to advise them on all the ways to top-up and stay on supply.
The company which is the country’s leading Smart Pay as You Go energy provider, also helps people to make five free and easy to follow changes to save money on their energy bills. www.utilita.co.uk/energyhigh5
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